Wedding, Tour Call-up - It's Enough To Make Doug's Hair Stand On End

Sydney Morning Herald

Wednesday April 16, 2008

Jamie Pandaram

"THIS is the best week of my life," announced Doug Bollinger before he departed for Hawaii. The NSW paceman - having grown a new head of hair, gained a Cricket Australia contract, and been married to wife Tegan in Wollongong in the past seven days - is now a bona fide international tourist with selection for the West Indies trip next month. Time to buy a lottery ticket, Doug.

With Tasmanian seamer Ben Hilfenhaus ruled out with a back injury, Bollinger was yesterday called in as the late replacement, which gives NSW 10 players in the touring side - the best representation in more than 80 years.

It appeared that the dream was over when Bollinger broke his foot weeks out from the Pura Cup final - at the time he was the competition's leading wicket-taker and most feared bowler. But selectors believed him to be the next best choice, and after passing a fitness test on Monday, Bollinger is raring to get a chance in the Test arena. "The first one [CA contract] was great but this is just as good," Bollinger said.

"I must say I feel for Ben Hilfenhaus; he's been injured and you don't wish that upon anyone. But I am very happy to get the phone call and I'm very excited.

"I was just packing up getting ready to come back from the wedding and I got the call. It was gold, good fun. Obviously, I just have to get my fitness up and do what I have to do ... I'll be trying to get a tan and keep doing my fitness work while I'm over [in Hawaii] ... I think I will be notified closer to the date what I can and will be doing. It's a bit of a boost for the ego."

Bollinger said he was getting towards full fitness and would undergo further training during the Australian team camp in Queensland prior to departing for the Caribbean. "When I got injured it was a blow, I thought that was it," he said.

Cricket NSW chief executive David Gilbert said Bollinger's selection was "a just reward" for a fine domestic season.

"He will bring a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm. When he broke his foot he was on track to break the state wicket-taking record that has stood for 120 years," Gilbert said.

"He was bowling the house down on a flat SCG wicket ... If he had finished the season with us he would have taken 60-plus wickets at an average under 20, so he deserved better."

Bollinger finished with 45 Pura Cup wickets at an average of 15.44, and while NSW managed to win the final against Victoria without him, he set up a mighty platform for the Blues that allowed Test stalwarts Brett Lee and Stuart Clark to return for the decider to a team on a roll.

"Having so many NSW teammates alongside him on tour will be good for Doug," Gilbert said. "They will remind him that this is just the beginning, the hard work starts now. He won't play initially, but it just takes one injury or freak of circumstance for him to get in."

As for NSW's utter domination of the touring side, Gilbert said it was a "phenomenal effort". "If this was happening in any other state they would be shouting from the rooftops," he said. "It's a good indication that what we're doing is working. But we're not getting complacent, we know there are other states that want to knock us off."

Bollinger, meanwhile, will be sporting a smile wider than any other visitor to the Waikiki shores for the next eight days. "I'm just wondering if they might bump me up to first class," he said before checking in for his flight.

© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald

Back to News Index | Back to Home